Scientific studies

GABA Labs is a science-led organisation with a mission to create and bring to market a safer alternative to alcohol, “Alcarelle”.

Alcarelle is a biomimetic compound designed to replicate the benefits of alcohol – the relaxation, the sense of conviviality – without the harms. We are now ready to take it through the regulatory process in the US using the FDA GRAS pathway.

We have also produced a plant-based GABAergic adult drink called SENTIA, as a proof-of-concept to increase awareness of GABA and to prime the market for Alcarelle. SENTIA is available now in the UK and US and is marketed by our sister company Sentia Spirits.

As a science-based organisation, GABA Labs regularly collaborates with research institutions internationally. Below you will see our current Requests for Proposals. If you wish to respond to any of them, please use the link provided.

As part of the company’s objective to develop functional alternatives to alcohol, GABA Labs has a range of key products both natural and synthetic that work by modulating the GABAergic system to support conviviality. We are seeking research collaborators to provide a programme of work that would be able to provide extended pharmacological/physiological profiles of these products in in vitro systems. Ideally this programme would cover measures of direct agonism of the GABAergic systems as well as potential positive allosteric modulation properties at other sites on the GABAA receptor (GABAAR): neurosteroid, BDZ, etc (Belelli et al.2021). We invite proposals that include pharmacological profiling in in vitro native and recombinant GABAAR expression systems to meet this goal. In addition, profiles at other health relevant off-targets e.g. HERG K+ channels would be welcome.

We invite scientists from the UK to submit competitive testable research proposals that meet these criteria for profiling these products at the GABAergic system. Submit outline proposals (no more than 2 sides of A4) by e-mail (see below) with indicative budgets, to GABALabs no later than June 30, 2024, 11:59 pm PST.

Full details available here (pdf).

Submit proposals to: research.proposals@gabalabs.com with subject line to include “Request #1: Receptor Selectivity”